[Book Review] Broken Mirror: Inside A Chinese Marriage

Looking at the pile of books in my room, I wonder if it’ll be wise to add another. I usually bring one wherever I go. However, I can’t seem to find the time to actually read. Either someone would talk my ear off or I’d get preoccupied with social media.

I know, that’s not a valid excuse.

So imagine my surprise that I had some time in my hands AND I was able to finish a newly acquired book.

“Broken Mirror: Inside A Chinese Marriage” is a memoir of Aurora Teo Mei Ling, written with Coylee Gamboa. An in-depth account of her life from childhood to the present. Aurora shared her upbringing, how that affected her choices growing up, and the real deal about Filipino-Chinese marriages.

Legend says that, when a child is born, a mirror is forged to reflect the new soul so care must be taken not to break the mirror for that would bring bad luck. Aurora Teo Mei Ling’s streak of bad luck ran seven times seven years.

Here’s an excerpt from Chapter 27 that was read during the book launch:

A book with the size of your typical notebook, it feels heavy on my hands. The physical weight of the book, the story that was about to unfold. Two hundred pages ahead of me, I thought it will take me a while before I get to know Aurora.

But reading this book was like talking to an old friend, finally learning about what has happened in those years we have lost touch. The delivery done by Ms. Coylee was simple yet it took my imagination on a ride but I can only stand, watch and feel for her. The illustrations of Ms. Aurora were beautiful and made the narrative stronger.

This may not be important to others but choosing to print with a bigger font size than today’s standard helped with the pacing. It lessened the strain in my eyes too as I get immersed in reading.

Aurora’s story represents millions of women who are bound to live according to old traditions and stay in abusive relationships. I applaud her courage and honesty. Fear can cripple us but overcoming that is what will eventually set her free. I pray that she continues to know the Lord from whom she will find her identity and who will give her peace and unconditional love.

“Broken Mirror: Inside A Chinese Marriage” is available for purchase at the following Fully Booked branches: BGC, Power Plant Mall, Alabang Town Center, Greenhills Promenade, Greenbelt 5, Mall of Asia, Century Mall and Eastwood Mall.

While I applaud the effort spent to tell her story, I want to encourage people to push beyond one novel as a “real deal” behind Chinese marriages. While there are certainly cultural obstacles to overcome in mixed heritage unions, there’s a large gap in terms of relating stories that aren’t about tragedy.

Perhaps it’s also the fault of those who are in good marriages to not write about them, or the general disinterest of the population for stories bereft of scandal and conflict?

But if anything, I do want to say that beyond the tales we see in novels like these, and Amy Tan’s The Kitchen God’s Wife, there are many marriages involving a merging of very different cultures that do work out wonderfully.

Hello Jay, I haven’t read the book you mentioned hehe. I generally believed that whether you are in a mixed heritage marriage or not, no matter what happened to you in the past, you still have the power to make choices.

Sadly, with today’s culture and not to discredit her personal story, the more drama the better for the public.

Hello! :]

Dems Angeles is a techlifestyle + arts & culture blogger based in Manila, Philippines. Get in touch for inquiries on collaborations, sponsorships, product features or reviews, advertisements and the like 🙂